(New York, NY) On Wednesday, September 25 at noon, Councilmember Rosie Mendez joins the Communities for Crisis Intervention Teams (CCIT NYC)—a coalition of 30 behavioral health providers and concerned citizens—to call for the creation of specially trained crisis teams that can partner with police officers to help better respond to the 100,000 “emotionally disturbed person” calls the NYPD receives each year.

Crisis Intervention Teams have proven to be effective resources in cities around the United States and are vital to minimizing violence and trauma that people in emotional crisis often experience as a result of interactions with the police. Through establishing a new approach to NYPD mental health recipient encounters, the effort would improve safety and security for citizens in crisis and NYPD officers.